Helping new hires feel comfortable from day one is an important step for effective onboarding. And an essential strategy to ensure this is through a memorable and engaging office tour for new employees.
You most probably are aware that it is a common way to introduce new hires to their new environment, colleagues, and resources. But doing it effectively with future benefits is not always easy.
That is exactly what I’ll help you achieve through this post. You’ll get to learn about some useful ways to improve office tours for new employees. As well as how to integrate it into your overall onboarding strategy, with measurable results.
Key Takeaways
An office tour for new employees should introduce them to their workstation, show them important office areas like cafeteria, kitchens, meeting rooms, washrooms, etc. and rooms of various departments.
To make the office tour effective and engaging, HR personnel must:
➡️ Set clear objectives
➡️ Map out key stops
➡️ Fix the tour timing
➡️ Select the guides
➡️ Specify for role
➡️ Make the tour engaging
➡️ Highlight workplace culture
➡️ Gather feedback
➡️ Use the right tools
Well-organized office tours help improve the onboarding process from the start.
Types of Office Tours
Most of the time, HR professionals walk around the office, introducing new hires to team members and other office staff. But there are variations to office tours, depending on role, location, and company size.
- Traditional in-person guided tours: An experienced staff member walks the new employee through the office. This lets hires see facilities in person and meet colleagues face-to-face. During Google’s in-person onboarding, new hires, called “Nooglers,” are guided by an existing employee called a Googler.
- Self-guided tours: In this type of tour, employers use maps, apps, or written guides so employees explore on their own, at their own pace.
- Virtual / video tours for remote or hybrid hires: Here, organizations use a video conference screen share of the workspace or a 360° virtual walk-through. These virtual tours can even be interactive, highlighting collaboration areas or popular common spaces as if the employee were there.
- Hybrid setup: this system combines methods like sending a printed office map plus doing a live guided tour of key spots for those in town and a virtual visit for those offsite.
How to Effectively Organize an Office Tour for New Hires?
To organize an office tour for new hires, you need to plan well and personalize the tour. I prefer organizing them on the first day of orientation. But if for some reason you can’t, make sure it occurs within the first week of onboarding.
Start With Clear Objectives
Office tours are held to familiarize new employees with the people and facilities. However, you should decide who they will meet during their first day of onboarding and when they will meet them. This helps both the new joiners and their team members get acquainted early. And also they will avoid losing work time.
Map Out the Route & Key Stops
Where you take the new hires also matters. Plan a logical path through the office. The first place to show them should be their workspace. This creates an instant feel of belonging.
Also, show them the restrooms, kitchen/cafeteria, conference rooms, meeting rooms, and emergency exits (if there). If you have a play or hangout zone, show them that immediately after the workspace and cafeteria visit. It will make the new hires feel you value their recreation, besides work.
Set the Duration & Timing
As mentioned above, try to organize the office tour on the first day. Avoid making the tour too long or rushed. This will make the orientation feel disorganized and forced. Include short breaks or downtime during the tour for rest and questions.
If the office tour includes meeting each of the functional heads for a short intro, allot 1-2 hours maximum. Because there will be instances of some talks that might be longer than expected. Or else, wrap it up within 15-30 mins, depending on workplace size.
Decide & Notify the “Tour Guides”
Usually, the HR manager or assigned HR person will lead the office tour. Unless you are the CEO, leading the HR management as well. You may take assistance from another peer. Most likely the team lead or another HR person, on a rotating basis. If the tour is long and covers various spots in the office.
If multiple people are involved (e.g., department heads), coordinate so each person knows their part. Inform colleagues in advance so they’re prepared to greet the newcomer.
Tailor the Tour to Role, Location, & Person
I would recommend not just showing around the office to new hires in a generic way. Try to include all the spots, facilities, and areas that pertain to their work first.
For example, if you are onboarding a creative designer, first show them their workspace. Hopefully with the device and accessories ready. Then, take them to the hangout zone or cafeteria, where they can relax and spend time ‘visualizing’ ideas. And then to the meeting room, where they will generate and create ideas/plans with the team.
The same applies to work locations. If you hire someone who will work in a different location after a month or two, you don’t need to spend too much time with the office tour. Just take him to his temporary workspace directly
Make It Interactive & Engaging
When walking a new employee around the office premises, ask them questions about their thoughts each step of the way. You can ask them about how the office compares to other places they visited or worked in. You may also find some fun ways to make the tour more engaging.
For instance, include some short, verbal quizzes or games based on the office area they are in. These strategies are best applicable for fresh hires or interns.
You may also use short interactive videos or video calls to virtually guide remote hires through floor plans or highlight online resources.
Showcase Company Culture
The office tour is a good way to show your workplace culture through how you communicate, present, and behave. Point out cultural symbols and routines along the way. Explain any behavioral rules that are expected.
Like when you enter a senior member’s room, you knock on the door. Or, when you go the canteen or cafeteria, the new hire is expected to wait in line to get their meal
Gather Feedback
At the end of the office tour, or the next day, ask the new hire what was helpful or confusing. You can send a short survey via their welcome email or ask them to fill it out in person. This feedback lets you improve future new hire office tours. And compare the improvements you make.
Use the Right Tools
To help you keep track of the tour, you can use HR tools or software. Software like Yosuite can help you save documents with plans or feedback questions based on the office tour. You can also add onboarding tasks to responsible team members who will be part of the new employee office tour.
Fill in the name of the task, assign it to the right person, add attachments as needed, and set a deadline to complete it. You can also describe the task for better understanding.
Also, you can add surveys or feedback forms to collect insights on how the office tour was. And how can you improve it For example, adding a form or survey to the onboarding experience can help you collect feedback from different stakeholders during the process itself.
How Do Office Tours Boost Onboarding?
A well-conducted office ensures the new hire is properly welcomed, helps them settle in, and provides the practical information they need to perform effectively. All these help boost your onboarding efforts.
A Gallup study found that 70% of employees who had “exceptional” onboarding experiences strongly felt they had “the best possible job.” These employees were 2.6× more likely to be extremely satisfied with their workplace
An office tour for new employees addresses basic questions like “Where do I find things? How do things work here?” In a friendly, face-to-face manner. Organizations like Atlassian include an office tour as a standard must-do item in their onboarding checklist.
Tips for the Right Budget for an In-house Office Tour
An office tour itself has few direct expenses, but planning a budget helps account for all costs involved. The average onboarding costs per employee run about $4,100. This includes things like new hire paperwork, orientation, and training. So even if the tour is mostly staff time, it contributes to the total.
The biggest “cost” is labor. So estimate the number of staff-hours spent per tour and include this in your calculations. Also include tour materials, welcome kits, or swag given at the office tour’s end. If you provide coffee, snacks, or a lunch as part of the tour experience, note those also.
If your tour covers multiple buildings or off-site locations, consider transportation costs. That includes contracted or hired driver fees as well. And don’t forget any extra tech you use for the orientation. You may need to purchase or subscribe to a video conferencing platform, VR headset, or tour app for virtual tours.
Summing Up
An effective office tour accelerates the integration of new hires. It helps them get an initial view of how the workplace culture works. It also sets an upbeat first impression and builds trust. A positive tour experience helps new employees feel welcome and part of the team from day one.
So make sure you have a well-planned office tour as part of the onboarding process. It’s a powerful way to help start new hires on the path to success in your organization.
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